A Gaar-Scott salesman speaks
(Page 2 of 3)
November/December 1951
Mr. E. C. Foreman
I started to locate the mill and when in hearing distance I knew from the sound of the exhaust that they were surely in need of a new engine. When we got close to the engine and saw the serial number I knew it had not been out of the shop very long. A young fellow was fringe and could not keep up the steam. He was carrying the water at nearly the top of the glass. I told him if he carried lower water and set the valve and likely new rings he might overcome the trouble. He said that was not the trouble but the engine was worn out and never was any good since they had it. He said his uncle bought it at a forced sale and surely got a fleecing in it.
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On the arrival of the owner, the fireman's uncle, he condemned it as almost worthless and when his nephew who had read every available book on steam engines could not get any power out of it nobody could. Anyway, a fourteen hp was too small and he would consider a new 16 hp.
Arranging a meeting that night we sold a new one. He said he would throw the old engine in if we payed the freight and delivered the new one to the mill.
Upon delivery of the new one, we pulled the old one out to a nearby barn lot. Put in new rings and set the valve. The engine run like new. We expected to load it at another station with an old portable some eight miles away.
Within a half mile of town a man saw us and asked us if we would help him out grinding feed as his engine was entirely gone. I consented to help him out. He was so taken with the engine that he bought the engine for cash. Later he bought a new thresher.
Once when driving a car, a storm came up and a farmer yelled at me to drive into his wagon shed. I had some catalogs on the seat. He remarked, "let me have a catalog, you are a machine agent I reckon. We are going to buy a thresher and have sent for catalogs of a couple firms." He called his son who said, "Father, that is the same make of machine that did our threshing last season and it did a fine job, no cut straw, chaff or dirt and green straw stack as a year previous." The farmer said, "just come to the house and get your dinner and we will consult the wife." The wife said, "they had thought of an auto but an auto would not help buy a thresher but a thresher might help buy and auto later." Their order was quick work.